Sunday, February 26, 2017

University Says Proper Grammar Is Racist

The Writing Center at the University of Washington-Tacoma
proudly sports a new poster with the heading, “STATEMENT ON ANTIRACIST AND SOCIAL
JUSTICE WORK IN THE WRITING CENTER.” The poster proclaims: “The writing center works from several important beliefsthat are crucial to helping writers
write and succeed in a racist society. The racist conditions of our society are
not simply a matter of bias or prejudice that some people hold.”

Now
they tell me. I wish I’d had that
guidance before I started scribbling on my own. The lesson continues (and
continues…and continues):

“Racism is the normal condition of
things. Racism is pervasive. It is in the systems, structures, rules,
languages, expectations, and guidelines that make up our classes, school, and
society. For example, linguistic and writing research has shown clearly for
many decades that there is no inherent ‘standard’ of English. Language is
constantly changing. These two facts make it very difficult to justify placing
people in hierarchies or restricting opportunities and privileges because of
the way people communicate in particular versions of English.

“Because we all live, work, learn, and
communicate within such racist systems, the consultants in the writing center
assume that a big part of our job is to help students become more critical of
these unjust language structures as they affect students’ writing and the
judgment of that writing. In particular, being aware of racism as structural
offers students the best chances to develop as writers and succeed on their own
terms in an inherently racist society.

“Furthermore, by acknowledging and
critiquing the systemic racism that forms parts of UWT and the languages and
literacies expected in it, students and writing center consultants can cultivate
a more socially just future for everyone. Just avoiding racism is not enough
because it means we are doing nothing to stop racism at large, and it amounts
to allowing racism to continue.

“The writing center consultants and staff promise to listen and look carefully
and compassionately for ways that we may unintentionally perpetuate racism or
social injustice, actively engaging in antiracist practices.”

Holy
crap.

The
poster, written by the director, staff and tutors of the school’s Writing
Center, also makes nine specified promises to students, including these: to “emphasize
the importance of rhetorical situations over grammatical ‘correctness’ in the
production of texts,” and to “challenge conventional word choices and writing
explanations.”

I would like to select and employ a
number of unconventional word choices
right now, but, after all, perhaps discretion is the better part of valor…or however the hell you want to phrase
it.

The
plucky, progressive, placard finished up by averring: “We also realize that
racism is connected to other forms of social injustice, such as classism,
sexism, heteronormative assumptions, etc., in similar ways. We promise further
to do our best to compassionately address these issues as they pertain to
student writing as well.”

I
didn’t know American grammar was
racist or that proper grammar is in truth an unjust language structure.

If
grammar and word choices don’t matter, and are inherently arbitrary, or even
racist, then the thought process which produces them is also baseless,
meaningless and inconsequential, except in-so-far as it’s bad.

It’s
a good thing Shakespeare, Churchill, Longfellow, et.al., didn’t attend UWT, or
much of the world’s best writing would read very differently.

But,
who can say that “Romeo, Romeo!
Wherefore art thou Romeo?” is any better than, “Dude, like, what up?!”
Certainly “Now is the winter of our discontent” should be graded no differently
than “I almost froze my balls off, man!” And really, is “The course of true
love never did run smooth” somehow a cut above “Bitch had it coming?”

“To
be or not to be; that is the question” isn’t really any different than,
“Whatever. Coexist!”

“Be
not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some
have greatness thrust upon them” would, of course, be rightfully construed as
racist ‘hate speech’ today. I bring it up solely as an example of the callous
disregard for others that most of the archaic white male writers routinely
exhibited.

Anyway,
how can “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.
They have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many
parts” be thought on a higher plane than, say, “All public bathrooms should be
open to men and women, the transgendered and gender-questioning, using the same
entrances and exits; a guy might identify as a female one day, a man the next,
despite his parts?” I’ll tell you how: because that person is a
heteronormative, non-inclusive, reactionary racist, that’s how!

And
remember, “Black Lives Matter. Look out for number one. Screw everyone else!”

Or,
if you wish, “To thine own self be true.”

************************

(Check
out the online version of the amazingly offensive, condescending, UWT poster
for yourself at: www.tacoma.uw.edu/university-writing-program/writing-center).

Daily Trivia Quiz Answer

Today's Answer: Andrew Jackson. ("Poll" got so worked up before the service he apparently had to be removed from the premises, as he was cussing long and loud).

Q) What words appear on the front of the penny, nickel, dime and quarter, alongside the likeness of presidents?

A) "Liberty" and "In God We Trust"

An Ode To Life

Appreciate all you have, as it- and you- will soon be gone. Leave no heartfelt words unspoken, no sweet gesture incomplete, no act of love undone. Love your spouse with passion and abandon, your kids with patience and understanding but also a firm guidance. Love also the truth, no matter how hard. If pursued by enough people with enough courage, it really will set us free.

And don't forget, we didn't ask to be born. We didn't create ourselves. We are not gods. There is a higher power.

Fireworks of the Mind

Write It Up

Whence Shall Come Another?

True Then, True Now

"If you will not fight for right when you can easily win without bloodshed; if you will not fight when your victory is sure and not too costly; you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you and only a precarious chance of survival. There may even be a worse case. You may have to fight when there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than to live as slaves."- Winston Churchill

Time Well Wasted

The power lies within your hands To do with what you may But the hourglass is filled with sands Of endless yesterdays